Getting it Wrong: Omakes and Mistakes from GiR
by D U A L I T Y x2
Summary: The omakes and Writer's cuts from our "hit" fanfiction Getting it Right.
1. Chapter 1

**Omake: A Half-right Comparison**

Ichigo was exhausted, confused and utterly embarrassed. Today had him running away from fangirls, endure teasing from his mom AND dad, trying his damndest not to interfere with Orihime's Shinigami duties and avoiding suspicion. Not to mention the evil eye Ishida's been giving him. It's SCARY how much Ishida seemed to hate him this time around, when they were more or less very friendly rivals to each other last time he lived this life.

Well, technically, it was dimensional travel, but it's a bit confusing either way.

The fact that this was a Saturday, meaning classes are only half-day today made it a HUGE relief. It meant he has the rest of the day off to do whatever he wanted. Which meant either killing Hollows too strong for Orihime, or just relaxing at home.

"HEY ICHIGOOOOOOO!"

Ichigo turned around and spotted Keigo, who was sporting a huge grin on his face. The fact that this grin looked like he found out something... troublesome... made Ichigo more than a little nervous. He forced himself to calm down, reminding himself that Keigo still probably couldn't see spirits and that he's done a pretty good job at covering his tracks. Then he saw Keigo carrying a sheet of paper that looked like it had a picture printed on it.

OH.

SHIT.

"Hey Ichigo! I was gonna show you this today at lunch, but I couldn't find you! I woulda missed you if those girls didn't tell me you were leaving already!"

Ichigo arranged his face into a neutral, bored expression and forced out a calm "What is it?"

Keigo gleefully handed the picture at Ichigo. Ichigo tried to act as calm as he could, and was surprised that all it contained was a picture of a game character Keigo sometimes babbled about, a man with a red coat, a huge sword, and a cocky grin. Then he realized something: the character's usually white hair was edited into a brilliant orange almost the same shade as his hair.

Then it hit him.

"What do you think? It hit me when I was playing DMC last night! You have the exact same hairstyle as Dante now!"

Ichigo was flabbergasted at the resemblance. All he managed out was a simple "Wha...?"

Keigo was now in full out Fanboy Mode.

"I KNOW right? I was all 'HOLY SHIT ICHIGO' last night when the screen zoomed in on Dante's face in a cutscene! I mean, right now you have almost the same build and hairstyle as him! Even your face shape is kind of similar! I mean COME ON! I CAN'T BELIEVE I missed this when I first saw you like that! OF COURSE, you'd turn into a chick-magnet, you just freaking turned into Dante, only with red hair!"

Ichigo now resembled a gaping fish at this point in Keigo's rant, but his friend wasn't done yet. He then dropped what was probably the thing that pushed Ichigo to the edge:

"Hell, just give yourself a red coat, crazy mad demon skills, a scary awesome monster form, and a HUGE sword and you're all set!"

Ichigo chocked when he realized that Keigo was RIGHT. If he replaced 'red coat' with 'black hakama', and 'demon' with "Hollow'...

Keigo now had the biggest shit eating grin he ever had. "What's the matter, Ichigo? Don't tell me you also have an evil twin that's your exact opposite~?"

Ichigo just stared at Keigo with an incredulous expression on his face. He was right about nearly everything in Ichigo's 'secret' life and he didn't even know it!

The fact that his Hollow was laughing his ass off at the 'evil twin' bit just drove the point home deeper.

He thought to himself, "What kind of crazy person would DO THIS to ME? It's like they ripped my life off from a game or manga or something!"

Somewhere in another dimension, a Japanese man sneezed, spilling ink all over a half-finished page of the manga he was working with. His swearing filled the room, his rage apparent at probably missing his deadline for his publisher. That page took him too long damnit, now he has to do it AGAIN!

A few thousand miles away from him, several people sneezed, shrugged, and continued typing away at their computers, hoping to finish their fanfiction chapters before the end of the day.

-0-

**End**

**Author's Note:**

Cef: *giggle* Please don't tell me that no one else thought that Ichigo looked like Dante after his training! I mean, JUST LOOK AT HIM! *drags Dante into view, tugging his pretty, pretty hair* THEY HAVE THE SAME HAIRSTYLE!

Dante: WTF? Get OFF ME!

Cef: NO! YOU ARE MY SNUGGLY DEMON NOW! =3

MINEMNEMINEMI-*gets tranq'd*

Coldman9: *is holding the tranq gun* Sorry about that, guys. She gets a little too hyper around Dante. And most other badass men. Oh, and you can leave now Dante. Make sure to get rid of her 'BishieTracker9000' before you go, alright?

Dante: Sure thing. I do NOT want to know where she got that, and who else she jumps when she's bored...

Coldman9: Trust me, you really don't... You'll be doing a favor to the world once that thing's GONE. Also, if any of you have some funny ideas or omakes you think would be nice to put up, I certainly wouldn't mind. Please send all omakes/randon tidbits/whatever to my Coldman9 account for review. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

_I repeat: This omake was written by __Cef Havoc__. _

-0-

"!"Ichigo nearly spat out the milk coffee he was drinking. It had been a couple of weeks since Keigo pointed out the eerie similarity between him and that game character, Dante. And Keigo still hadn't let him live it now here was Keigo, running after him AGAIN, this time with a small MP4 player in hand."Ichigo, oh my GOD you have to see this! I just got a PS3 for DMC4-""What?"

"- I mean Devil May Cry 4 and I was playing then OH GOD YOU HAVE TO HEAR THIS!" Keigo finished, shoving the player into Ichigo's hands and pressing the play button.A cutscene from the game started playing. The first thing Ichigo noticed was the white-haired young man that looked similar to the old protagonist, and to a certain extent, the white-haired boy started talking, and Ichigo nearly dropped the player in shock."See?" Keigo blurted out.

"What... WHAT THE HELL? Is Capcom STALKING ME or something? Why the HELL does he SOUND JUST LIKE ME?" Ichigo yelped, causing a nearby cat to run away, frightened. That and the fact that he unconsciously let out a small amount of reiatsu, not enough for most people to sense, but just enough to spook small looked torn between laughing and looking creeped-out. "Heheheh... I know right? I mean, it's bad enough that you look like a Son of Sparda, but sounding like one? Now THAT'S creepy!"Then the clip showed a young woman with light auburn hair, and when she spoke, Ichigo suddenly blurted out, "Hey, this girl sounds familiar..."Keigo grabbed the player, and put the speaker near his ear. "Woah... You're right! I never noticed that before..."

Ichigo's expression turned thoughtful. "_Why does she sound familiar...? Screw that, she seems really familiar... Why is she so familiar?" _he thought to himself...

Wait a sec...

His eyes widened as he realized just who Kyrie reminded him of...

_Meanwhile_

"WAAAAACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sneezed out Orihime, utterly '_ruining_' the lunch she was cooking. Not like it wasn't already gross to begin with.

_Back to Ichigo and Keigo_

Ichigo's jaw dropped at the revelation. Keigo, on the other hand, had already noticed it before, and was just baiting Ichigo. Seriously, why shouldn't he have recognized Orihime's voice when he recognized Ichigo?

With that, Keigo put his arm around his red-haired friend, and said "Alright, this is the last bit of proof I needed! From now on, to make DMC a full-out homage to you, I'll help you get Inoue-san in every way you need to!"

"Bwa- WHAT?" Ichigo spluttered. Keigo's sudden declaration had really thrown him off-balance. After all, how many friends would offer to help you hook up with someone after just seeing something from a video game?

Inwardly, Keigo was laughing. He had SO wanted to do this for a long time now, and here was a golden opportunity! Besides, those two are PERFECT for each other!

**Q U I Z .. T I M E**

**Yes, we do have the answers (well our own at least)for some of these questions. BUT we care a lot about what our readers want to see and what they think. So please, do my little quiz and help us make out story the bet it can be! **

1_. Chad was close to Ichigo and gained powers. Though he is not as close to Orihie, outdoor want him to have powers?_

_2. Even if someone else has powers instead?_

_3. You are going to see a new side of orhime's powers soon. Would you mind us writing the Zanpakuto Rebellion (not the Zanpakuto Beasts) so you can get to know her zanpakuto and its involvement with the story?_

_4. What do you think Orihime's powers would be?_

_5. __**IF**__ Ichigo were to meet the one he replaced, what do you think they would say to one another_?

_6. What do you ABSOLUTLY want to see happen before the end of this try? (orihime and Ichigo together does not count as an answer)_

_7. Who do you want Ichigo to fight the most? _

_8. Who do you want Orihime to fight most?_

_9 What do you imagine Orihime's shikai looking like?_

_10. What about her Bankai?_

_11. What would you name Orihime's Zanpakuto?_

_12. What would you name Ichigo's hollw?_

_13. Anything else you want us to know or think about? _


	3. Chapter 3

CM9: Hey loyal readers. Recently, MrsMoshea and I reached a crossroads in our creative genius, as such, the story has changed drastically from what we once planned. With that, all the really cool scenes we wrote before hand are now useless.

What were we to do with these scenes we wondered before we realized, like it most good moves, our story could have a 'Director's' cut portion. This is the first of some good scenes to come later.

**Writer's Cut 1**

_Read the AN first!_

Ichigo sighed with relief. Good Inoue was only crying. He flinched at the thought. In no way was the idea of the delicate shinigami crying a good thing. He was just thankful it wasn't something worse. Ichigo had ran here thinking that the massive fluctuations in her reiatsu was because Orihime was battling her inner hollow for control. It was a good to know that he was wrong. Now, he only had to take care of the crying damsel.

Ichigo walked up the path beside the bench Orihime was perched. He meant a stealthy approach, but a twig snapped under his weight. Orihime's head snapped up. She quickly wiped her eyes dry before turning his way. As soon as she recognized his blurry figure she showed him one of those bright smiles. He could have sworn it turned to day light with how bright it looked. The disguised vizaard's face looked at her with worry, but he knew she couldn't see it.

"You were crying..." Ichigo began, his observation made her jump and wipe at her eyes again.

"I wasn't crying, Kagemusha-kun, I just have bad allergies."

"Bullshit."

Ichigo flopped down on the bench next to her. He propped Zangetsu against the back so he could sit more comfortably. He waited. It didn't take Orihime long to start crying again. Everything in his being told him to reach over and hug the crying angel, but he didn't know if he should. Ichigo already knew she had some feelings for him, disguise or no, and he knew without a doubt that he loved her, but it felt too much like taking advantage of her friendship. Orihime would have never told him that she loved him... or rather Kagemusha, if she knew that Ichigo was in fact the same person. Orihime sniffled and wiped her eyes with the edge of her shihakusho's sleeve.

"I'm sorry Kagemusha-kun, I'm not usually like this. I ... I just don't know what to do."

"You know I'm always here to help, Inoue."

"I'm not sure you can help me this time, Kagemusha-kun."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. Was she talking about her inner hollow? Ichigo knew it had to be giving her problems, even during class, it seemed to be tugging on her mind. Ichigo could still vividly remember the fear and turmoil he experienced by his hollow's hand. If it wasn't for the help of Shinji and the other Vizaards, Ichigo would have been lost to the madness long ago. Orihime, she had no one to help her but him. Shinji and the others would just force her to turn on Soul Society, and Urahara knew nothing about owning an inner hollow.

"Inoue, I promised you I would protect you and keep you safe. How can I do that if you don't tell me what wrong?"

"You're so strong and brave Kagemusha-kun." Orihime half laughed. The kind of laugh that escapes your mouth without permission. "You probably say that to everyone."

She didn't know what she was expecting to hear as an answer, _"Wow, Inoue you're right. I do say that to everyone, why am I wasting my time with you, when I have so many other people out there that I have sworn to protect?"_ Then, he would fly away and leave her to cry alone like she wanted to. Kagemusha wouldn't do that though, she knew he would sit there and wait for her to answer his questions. It was traits like that, that had Orihime falling for him. He was kind, strong, and loyal, and Christ she didn't even know what he looked like. She loved him and didn't even know his name.

Another salty tear fell.

"Actually..." Ichigo began, suddenly feeling pained. "I have only promised that to..." Ichigo paused, swallowing down the hurt and regret at letting them down. "Two other people..."

Orihime looked at him with a questioning glance. He tried his best not to bring up that world he left, but it seemed like no matter what it kept coming back into focus. It would always come back up and remind Ichigo that this was not his home and not where he belonged. He belonged alone, without the people he loved and cared for. Haunted by the people he let down.

"Who?" Orihime asked.

"… Two people I wound up not being able to keep safe." Ichigo said bitterly, then let out a hollow chuckle, "I guess my promises aren't worth anything."

"I'm sorry." Orihime said, lowering her head and letting a few more tears slip by.

"What for?" Ichigo was taken aback by her sudden apology.

"For bringing up such bad memories."

"Stop apologizing so much." Ichigo sighed. Asking Orihime to stop apologizing was like asking the sun to never go down, or for the clouds to never rain. "You're almost exactly like-" Ichigo made a choking noise as he cut himself off.

"Just like who?" Orihime asked, looking at him with her wide eyes, eyes he knew he lost himself in every time he looked.

"A... a friend of mine… one of the people I promised to protect." Ichigo took a deep breath, "You two are a lot alike. She didn't like fighting either. She felt so bad when I was out there fighting. A friend of ours told me it was because she wanted to protect me." Ichigo leaned back and ran a hand through his hair, the memories were painful, but so nice at the same time. The memories of Inoue were like a warm blanket, but one that was too small to block out all of winter's chill. "She had these amazing abilities. She could heal me with them, and reject the world around her. She summoned these little fairies to do it, and they even made a shield for her too." Kagemusha's voice went quiet, as if he was lost in the memories. "She had powers grander than God himself... Thats what he called it... She hated seeing me fight, but she'd follow me into every battle just to make sure I came back. If it weren't for her cheering me on and healing me like she always did, I probably wouldn't be here today. "

He looked over at Orihime, and she looked back at him."She also had this habit of apologizing when there was nothing to apologize for."

"…She sounds incredible." Orihime said, looking off to the distance.

"…Yeah. She was."

A silence settled over the two. Orihime tried to hold back more tears. She'd brought up painful memories for him; she could tell by his voice, by the way he held himself, he'd lost this friend of his. God, why did she keep making trouble for him, he was protecting her so much, and all she ever was, was a burden. Why did he keep coming back even though she brought him nothing but hurt?

"I'm sorry, Inoue." He said suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry for what?"

"I made you a worthless promise. If I couldn't even keep the other two people I promised safe, what worth does it hold to you?"

"That's not true!" Orihime shouted, standing up, tears running down her face again, "You're a great protector, I'm just a troublemaker. I'm always getting into bad situations, and you keep coming to get me out of them." Orihime clenched her fists at her sides, she didn't want to say what she was about to, but she had to, "Just stop." She squeezed her eyes closed, wishing she could stop looking so pathetic, "Just stop protecting me. Look out for yourself. I'm not worth it."

Another silence settled about the area. Orihime could feel his eyes watching her as she cried. She didn't want him to leave her, she fell in love with him just like she had fallen for Ichigo, but she knew, he'd hate her for what she was. She could hear it, constantly, the hollow the inside her. She was just like the Vizaards, the ones that hurt him so badly. How would he be able to stay by her if she was like them? She heard him stand, and move. She relaxed a little, he was leaving, he was finally seeing sense. Her eyes snapped open when she felt a hand gently take hold of her chin and pull her face up. Kagemusha reached out a hand, and she felt cloth brush against her skin as he wiped away her tears.

"No." he said simply as he kept wiping at her tears, "I'm not going to turn my back on you Inoue. Not now, not ever."

"…Why?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ichigo hesitated, only for a second. _Ichigo_ would never have the guts to do this, to say these words to Inoue, but _Kagemusha_ could. There were advantages to Orihime not being able to see the light blush on his scowling face.

"…Because I love you too damn much."

Suddenly, Orihime was aware of just how close her savior was, of how gently he was holding her chin. It was just enough so that he could do what he needed to, but loose enough so that he wouldn't hurt. Kagemusha would never hurt her. She knew how fast her heart was beating, she could smell the subtle scent of autumn in the air tangled with Kagemusha's peppery sent. Everything about that moment was going to be etched into her memory forever. Slowly, Orihime leaned forward.

She felt electricity running through her body when his warm lips met hers. Lightly at first, testing the bounds of this new contact, then it grew deeper. She felt his hand running through her hair, the other wrapping around her back to pull and hold her close. She felt as if she was floating and dizzy. Nothing else existed in that moment excepts his hands and lips.

Then she saw Ichigo's face. HIs beautiful scowl and furrowed brow. The sweet way he would smile at her with his caramel eyes. He was safe and caring and loyal and strong. Suddenly, the kiss felt bitter and wrong.

Orihime pushed away with a gasp. She couldn't believe what she had just done. Yes, she had feeling for Kagemusha, but at the same time Ichigo was still in her heart as well. How could she have done that? She had betrayed one for the other.

"Inoue? Is something wrong?" Ichigo asked, wondering why she pulled away so suddenly.

Concerns and fears swelled into the front of his mind. He had violated her trust and kissed her when she was weak and confused. He hadn't even thought of how Orihime would react when he moved forward to test those tempting lips. Her lips had been so soft and sweet he lost all thought the second they touched his own. He never wanted the kiss to end.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly again, and started sobbing again, covering her mouth with her hand, "I can't. I feel the same about you, I really do, but I can't."

"Inoue." Ichigo took a step forward, reaching out a hand to her.

"I'm sorry." Orihime repeated, then shunpoed away.

Ichigo stood in shocked silence. What had he done wrong?

-0-

Ichigo trailed behind Orihime, holding their bags over his shoulder as he watched her finish her mint flavored ice cream. He just watched her, not listening to her cheerful babble but lost in the sound of her voice. He had dreamed of doing something like this since he returned from Soul Society with his newly discovered love for the cheerful girl in front of him. With that kiss from the other night still fresh on his lips he got up the courage to do it. So, when Tatsuki left mysteriously with Uryu once again, Ichigo saw his opportunity and decided to walk Orihime home... with a stop at the ice cream parlor she loved and a long enough walk in the park to give him time to finish his own two scoops. Orihime told Ichigo she would be fine with two scoops, since he was nice enough to pay, but Ichigo knew her too well. She always got four scoops and they were always in the same order. Pineapple, cherry, mint, and black _licorice. So her own Ice cream had made it to her apartment, just as she reached the black candy flavored layer. _

_Ichigo noticed right away how she didn't even look back or ask him to come in as she entered her apartment. He had, after all, lived here with her for some time before he made up with his parents. Ichigo couldn't help but wonder if she missed having him around. _

_"Are you ready Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime beamed. Before he had to ask what he had to prepare for the Auburn haired shinigami shoved her ice cream cone in her mouth with two large bites. Ichigo had a brain freeze just watching her. "Itai!" Orihime cried holding her hands to her forehead. _

_Ichigo dropped their bags and dashed to get her a glass of warm water. "Of course it hurts. What were you thinking, doing that?"_

_"But, it was going to melt." Orihime smiled despite the pain. She would never tell him, or anyone for that matter, that she had discovered that when she had brain freeze or a headache the voice in her head went away. Maybe when she got a headache __they__ got a headache and so it was in too much discomfort to talk? She had gone through two tubs of ice cream already, and had three more. If it wasn't for her shinigami tasks she probably would have already gained twenty pounds._

_Ichigo couldn't help but smirk at her reasoning. Only Orihime would think to do that. Ichigo came around the counter and handed her the glass. She drank the liquid down hungrily, and let out a content sigh when it was finished. _

_"Well, I couldn't just sit there and watch..."_

_"I meant for everything. For staying with me when you had so many other places to go, and for staying with me when Rukia left..." She smiled and at him, her eyes seeming a little misty. "And for walking me home and getting me four scoops when I would have been okay with two."_

_Ichigo gave her a small smile and couldn't help but take a step closer. "That's what I do. If I don't take care of you who will?" Jokingly, Ichigo pushed on her forehead with his finger. "Who knows what kinds of trouble you'd get yourself into if I wasn't here?"_

_"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime whined, giving him the reaction he wanted from his well placed teasing. _

_Ichigo turned his back to her in attempts at hiding his growing smile for the girl who just couldn't seem to make him stop. God help him, he wondered if he ever would stop smiling. He was turning from hardened vizaard to awkward teenager in her presence. Ichigo picked up his bag and tossed it coolly over his shoulder, his other hand finding a safe haven in his pocket. God knows if it wasn't he'd be trying to wipe that bit of cherry off the tip of her nose. _

_"I should go. I promised mom I would be there to help set up for dinner."_

_"Oh, I didn't want to keep you, I'm sorry." Orihime cried following Ichigo to the door._

_Once past the thresh-hold Ichigo turned and gave her that same smile with those same charming and warm eyes. _

_"It's no problem Inoue. I wanted to."_

_This was the time when Ichigo generally would tell her he wouldn't leave until he saw he close the door and lock it. This time was different, he never had his chance. Orihime sat up, coming to the balls of her feet and kissed him lightly. He could even in that second of connection, taste the black licorice on her lips. The flavor he had once hated now seemed too delicious to even comprehend. _

_Now she was hovering just far enough away from his lips to feel her breath, still chilled from the Ice cream. Her large eyes were half lidded but looking into his own all the same. She licked her lips making Ichigo and his hollow both mentally groan. She was about to say something, It was the only reason Ichigo could think of that could explain why it was when he came down to capture her mouth he was able to make it as deep as the last one, the one she had shared with __Kagemusha__, left off._

_Ichigo dropped his bag, barley caring about the thing, all that mattered was him getting Inoue in his arms. One hand instinctively went to the flat on her back, and pushed her to him until it snaked around her in a pressing hug. The other held onto her neck, stopping her from pulling away this time. That last kiss as fleeting and quick as it was had suddenly sparked the fire she had fueled the starry night she found her crying. He wasn't going to let go until he had enough of her, and he didn't think he would ever have enough. _

_Orihime moaned in shock at first, but soon melted into the kiss. This felt so right, his lips on hers, like it made her complete. Somehow her hands had found their way into his spiky main. She wondered if it happened before or after Ichigo had pressed her back against the door frame. It was all she was able to think before the sensations brought her mind back into a fog. The only thoughts left were too contradictory to even fathom. _

_One side of her mind told her to get closer and taste Ichigo. The taste was familiar and heavenly. If she had to place the taste it would have been the taste of Kagemusha's kiss as well. Did all kisses taste as sweet? Sweeter even than the ice cream she had only moments ago finished._

_Then there was the other half. The half that reminded Orihime of her promise. She wasn't supposed to do anything romantic to either Kagemusha or Kurosaki-kun until she knew what she wanted, who she wanted. And here she was, melting into Ichigo's kisses. _

_How long had it been before Ichigo lost track of time and had to pull away just to breath? When he did, he left his mouth close to hers. He didn't want to give her a chance to run away, not this time. His breathing was heavy and so was hers. The sound was so pleasing, to know he had affected her the same way. Her eyes were closed and her head fell back against the wall he had at some put pinned her against. He needed to say something to tell her how he felt... when he said her name his voice was low and husky. _

_Her name was all he could say. The second her name slid off his tongue a tear fell from her eyes._

_"Inoue?" Ichigo pulled back as more tears found their way down her cheeks. A sob soon followed._

_"I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun." She cried hugging herself like she took a blow to the gut. "I love you... I love you so much, but I-I'm just confused." Ichigo tried to reach out and comfort her but she pulled away and back into her apartment. "I'm so sorry."_

_With that she closed the door and locked it, leaving him standing there alone. From the other side of the door Ichigo could hear her sliding down the wood barrier, undoubtedly waiting for the sound of his leaving so she could cry aloud._

_"I ... I love you too, Inoue." Ichigo mumbled. _

_And just like that, his smile was gone._


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so after much internal turmoil, after reading review after review about Ichigo's strengths and how we are making him out to be a weak pansy ass, who can't control a damn thing or kill hollows on his own, I have decided to set the record straight in a chapter instead of a reply, because no one seems to read them Or I guess care and a lot of the people who make these comments aren't logged in so I can't reply anyway *takes a deep breath* okay so setting the record straight.

* * *

><p>To start off, Ichigo did NOT perform FGT in our story. Think of the dimension he comes from as a separate dimension even from the one we are reading today. Aizen had merged with the Hogyoku, yes. But in our version Ichigo didn't fight Aizen alone the first time (before he opened the Senkimon and entered the SS to kill everyone in Karakura. So while Ichigo was fighting him in Fake Karakura his Nakama joined in the fray, all ending up being killed in the process. Orihime (like her death in the Bleach pilot) ends up sacrificing herself to stab Aizen with Tensa Zangetsu. Aizen is badly hurt and flees to Soul Society (real Karakura) and ends up killing the twins, Ichigo goes a little crazy, and kills the bastard.<p>

With that being said let me point out that Ichigo did not face supper moth Aizen. The Aizen Ichigo faced was just starting his career as pop sensation Lady Gaga at the time of his death (and no one shed a tear). Yes Ichigo merged with his hollow and also gained complete control of his full hollow (or Vasto Lorde as some like to call it) form. And yes Ichigo is strong enough to sneeze on a hollow and turn the damned thing into dust. But let me ask you one question... how interesting would that story be? I mean really? On top of that some of you need to realize that Ichigo is not the "master" of this dimension. Think of the dimension he left as revolving around him and then look at the dimension he is in now as revolving around Orihime who was born to have his place in this world. Because of that we have not had Ichigo running around sneezing people to dust. We wanted to make Orihime a strong Heroine and we couldn't do that if Ichigo did everything for her.

Yes he could have killed Sora in a second when he appeared, but Orihime needed the emotional growth of seeing Sora as a hollow and the reader needed to understand that, unlike Ichigo who doesn't give a rat's ass what happens to a hollow after he kills it, Orihime values each hollow as a lost soul just like her Sora. That was something she would never do if she hadn't had to go up against Sora. And to be fair we did let Ichigo kill him after that...

I guess I should also explain why Ichigo became hollowfied when he was being held by Tessai and Urahara. A few of you have mistaken his hollowfiying as meaning he NEEDED to too escape. No, he didn't. The reason he hollowfied was because he has merged with his hollow. Imagine the line Ichigo spoke to Ulquiorra during their epic fight (chapter 341). _"Maybe my gaining the ability to see them [his attacks] means that I've become more hollow, or maybe that you've become more human."_ So when we talk about Hollow Ichigo and Ichigo merging we mean along those lines. So HI acts more human that a hollow should (or more human than he has in the past) and Ichigo acts more hollow in some situations. This also means that as stated in chapter 2 (O'Brother, Here You Are) when Ichigo get angry, his hollow gets angry, and he starts to hollowfy (as seen by the many, many times you see his eyes go black). Imagine every single emotion you can feel amplified by another soul inside of you. Now going back to Ichigo being bound by Urahara... Ichigo was upset, which made Hollow Ichigo upset which made the very pissed off strawberry boy hollowfy. The only difference between that time and any of the other times Ichigo has been overly angsty, pissed off, or otherwise emotional, is that Ichigo didn't fight to control his emotions, he let them play out. Thus BIZANGA Ichigo over pwns.

The Grand Fisher chapters also left a few people complaining about Ichigo's weakness. Once again Ichigo's absence used to propel the storyline for Orihime, and yes we also planned on Ichigo swooping in and saving the day (cause he's just so damn good at it). Yes Ichigo could have sneezed every hollow to death, maybe even disintegrated them with a hiccup, but the story wouldn't have gone anywhere. Ichigo would have had his own revenge sooner, yes, but we needed Orihime to experience that pain. It was her turn to fail and that is what is going to make her a better fighter.

In the most recent chapter Ichigo didn't over pwn hollows, and I would apologize but we used the same formal we have used in all of the past chapters, in 13. We wanted Ichigo to fight alongside the others so he did, instead of taking care of everyone on his own. We had Ichigo go Bankai not because he needed to but because it would have helped him break the veil (which we were planning on happening so we made sure he didn't use a lot of power until this point) and because He's a show off, and also a theme for these past to chapters is that Ichigo and his hollow are on the same wavelength because of the bait Ishida snapped. And we all know Hollow Ichigo feels a lot more comfy in his Zany-jacket.

Thank you for sitting there and listening to my ranting and raving. I would like to thank the majority of our readers and reviewers who are sweet kind and understand that CM9 and I have this story planned all the way to nearly the current chapter in the cannon Manga. Most of you have been very cool and faithful so I am sorry I had to bother you all with this. To the others, I hope that you keep giving us and Ichigo a chance, with his veil broken and SS on the way He is going to start kicking the allotted amount of ass for her yearly quota so please be patient.

Cheers, MrsMoshae

p.s. do you think we should create a seperate "story for all of our extra stuff (omakes, writer cuts, etc.) cause it seems to me like they are taking up needed space and kind of cutting the story up in an uncomfortable way.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been about midnight before he decided there was no point to lying in bed if you weren't sleeping. Pushed by the ideas his hollow popped into his head about other things you could do in a bed, the troubled teen left the house under the cloak of his shinigami form, and found himself here. Ichigo sighed as he sat on the largest beam for the bridge over the river. He rather liked the view from there, with the lights down below providing some nice illumination, the river below and the soothing sound as it drifted by, and the crescent moon in the sky, reflecting off the river's dark surface. This was the third night, the third night in a row that he was unable to get any sleep. All because his auburn haired love kissed him, twice, then ran off crying both times. It wasn't just the kisses though, it was her words.

_"I feel the same about you, I really do..."_

_"I love you... I love you so much..."_

This whole thing was just too confusing.

He closed his eyes, trying to find a little peace, which only served to bring back the images of Orihime turning away from him with tears in her eyes. It was confusing. Had he done something wrong? He couldn't have, she kissed him both times. But then, why? What was he doing wrong? All he wanted was to be with her, be around her, to see her smile up at him, a special smile she'd only have for him.

Ichigo was so lost in his thoughts he didn't truly notice the cold breeze as it blew by. He did, however, notice the rise in reiatsu a moment later. Ichigo's back went straight. He knew this reiatsu, it was...

"Sode no Mai!"

Ichigo shunpoed out of the way as the entire top of the bridge became covered in a thick layer of ice. The frozen hem of his hakama showing that if he had been a second slower, he'd be encased in that ice as well. As he stopped, landing on a nearby building, he looked over and saw Rukia glaring at him, a released Sode no Shiraiyuki in her hand. This was different, all her glares before had been warning, distrustful, or from frustration. This one was pure rage and aimed especially at him, the attack with no warning accentuated that point.

"What the hell Rukia!" He yelled, trying to figure out what the hell it was that was causing his life to become so much more incredibly complicated than it already was.

"Crying." Was her only response before she shunpoed before him, bringing down her zanpakuto as she did.

Ichigo only managed to draw Zangetsu in time to block, and wound up getting sent flying back. Before he could stop she had already murmured the incantation for a kido and launched it at him. The bright red sphere seemed to match the mood perfectly, after all, Rukia was out for his blood. He managed to drop from his current altitude and dodge the spell, then jumped back up as Rukia took a stance, Sode no Shiraiyuki's point aimed straight at him.

"What are you doing Rukia!" Ichigo called out to her.

"She's crying." Rukia said, then charged again, swinging her sword with incredible speed, "Orihime hates herself and she's crying! What the hell is wrong with you!"

"I don't understand." Ichigo protested, blocking and dodging Rukia's attacks, "I know she's crying, she's kissed me twice and then ran off doing it both times. I just want to know why!"

Ichigo had to speed up as Rukia did, even adding a few kidos into the mix. He knew she was a tough fighter, but never knew she had this kind of skill. She was lethal with her blade, no doubt about that. But why was she angry, he hadn't done anything to Orihime to make her cry, hell, everything he ever did was so that she wouldn't cry. Now he had Rukia attacking her, he was losing sleep at night, and Orihime was crying.

Rukia stopped after launching another Sode no Mai at him, "You honestly don't know Ichigo? How can you be so oblivious?" if she could have seen Ichigo's face, she would have seen the shocked expression on his face, "She's crying because she doesn't know _Kagemusha_ and _Kurosaki-kun_ are one in the same person."

"Wh-what?" Ichigo asked, his blade lowered from the shock of her words.

"Right now, she believes you're two different men. Two different men that have captured her heart. She kissed _Kagemusha_ and hates herself because she feels like she betrayed _Kurosaki-kun_. And then she kisses _Kurosaki-_kun and feels like she betrayed _Kagemusha_."

Rukia shunpoed again, making Ichigo tense up as he expected her to attack again. What he didn't expect was to feel her small hand encompass the bracelet on his left wrist. Still holding her glare she put her foot against his chest and pushed off, taking the bracelet with her. Ichigo stumbled back from the impact, and felt naked in the middle of a crowd. He was so used to the weight of the veil and the bracelet itself he felt weird now.

It was interesting to see the veil fall. It was like Ichigo rippled and then the shadows left. It was even more intriguing to actually see Ichigo Kurosaki standing before her, clad in Shinigami robes and holding a zanpakuto.

Rukia looked down at the simple item in her hand before tossing it to her side. With her arm extended and palm flat, another red sphere appeared at the end of her hand and was sent with perfect trajectory right at the bracelet. The spell hit nothing and continued on, impacting with the river and exploding below the surface. Rukia looked behind her as Ichigo glared at her and held the bracelet in his left hand.

"What the hell Rukia!" he yelled, "I need this!"

"Like hell you do!" Rukia yelled back, her friend was crying and Ichigo revealing himself would be the only thing that could make her get back to her normal self, "Orihime is torn up inside because she believes she loves two different men and has to choose! Just reveal yourself to her, you already said your parents know, why can't Orihime know!"

"It's not that simple." Ichigo growled, guilt rising in his gut, while his mind sped up to a hundred miles a minute. That was what it was, that was why Orihime had cried after kissing him both times. And then he felt like such a jerk, Rukia's words were right. But then, if she knew he was a Shinigami, she'd ask why, and he couldn't say no to her, he'd tell her the whole story. That, he was certain, was a story he never could tell.

"Then make it simple." Rukia growled back.

"You don't understand!" Ichigo yelled, "You just know I'm Kagemusha, you don't know why I have Shinigami powers, or how I got them. It probably doesn't matter if I tell you, but with Inoue, Tatsuki, Uryu, and Chad it'll be different. They'll hate me for it. My parents are different, they're great people and they forgave me, even accepted me, but…" Ichigo looked down, the guilt too much, "How could Inoue ever forgive me?"

"Ichigo." Rukia said quietly, then lowered her own blade, "… Tell me. Tell me how you got your Shinigami powers. It can't honestly be that unforgiveable."

" . . . . . . It was you, Rukia. You gave me my Shinigami powers."

Rukia stepped back, shocked by Ichigo's words and the hollow look in his eyes. His voice sounded so flat, lacking its former vigor. His caramel eyes where lifeless, no longer catching the shine from the moon and street lights like it usually did.

"What?"

"You . . . you might want to sit down."


	6. Chapter 6

_CM: Here you are, this is the original version of Ichigo making up with his parents. You'll see a lot of influence that carried over into the revised scene, but this is still a personal favorite of mine._

-0-0-0-0-0-

Here he was, Ichigo couldn't help but think, at his last summer festival. Again. Ichigo didn't feel that bottom of his gut feeling of despair this time. He was strong enough. He had a plan. Everything was going to work out this time. This time, there was going to be peace. This new home was going to see a better fate than the one he left.

Ichigo's eyes followed the bright colors of Orihime's hair and yukata. Before Rukia left, she had convinced Orihime to buy the summer kimono for the festival, and had dragged Ichigo along as well. Ichigo still remembered the first yukata the auburn haired Shinigami had chosen. Snowy white with black trim. The very idea of Orihime wearing something so close to the garb she was imprisoned in made his anger spike. He told her to find another one. She pouted, and Rukia had glared, but he didn't explain it to either of them. He didn't need too. Now, dressed in her pink yukata with her hair up in a loose bun, she looked as bright as she acted.

There was one of those thoughts again. Ichigo's eyes glared and his eyebrows furrowed deeper. Since Ichigo found her eleven nights ago, bloody and almost dead, he had been thinking weird thoughts like that one, every time he thought about Orihime. Each thought came with a strange feeling in his stomach and made the hairs at his neck stand on end.

"Wow, just look at everything Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime smiled as she ran around like a child. Once again Inoue stopped at a booth and sampled the sweet meat the owner had to offer her. She shoved the food in her mouth like she hadn't eaten in days. Then again, she hadn't had she?

Orihime had spent the last ten days training with Urahara, while Ichigo, or rather _Kagemusha_, had spent those days with Yoruichi trying to help train Chad and Tatsuki, while simultaneously, fighting the black cat to just get a single peaking into Orihime's training. Urahara had promised that he would not change the sweet tempered girl into a Vizaard, like he technically had Ichigo. As Ichigo continued to watch Orihime he remembered the words Urahara had said to him after he promised to save Orihime the fate of forever dealing with an inner hollow.

_"Though I make this promise to you, I have also promised Inoue-san that I would revive her powers to her at any cost. I will consider my promise to her before I consider yours." _

Ichigo was already told the basics of her training. She had gone through the same "lessons" that he had been put through, including being unceremoniously chucked down that never ending pit. From what he had before learned of his own experience, from the moment of his final encroachment to the time he emerged from the pit was about ten minutes. Orihime? According to a very serious Urahara, she took twenty seconds at best. For that fact Kisuke was certain that, if any, her hollowfication would be miner. The chances though, according to the stripe hatted scientist, were that Orihime achieved her powers without any hollowfication.

It was a lie of course.

Yes, Ichigo believed Orihime could find her powers after such a short amount of time. After all she was a lot smarter than him and better in tuned to her reaistu. Already though, he could see small flecks of dark purple emerging within her calming sunset colored aura. He wasn't surprised that he was the only one to see it. Ichigo was the only one with an inner hollow, and as much as he hated to say it, the orange haired vizaard only noticed it after his hollow had pointed it out. Now, it was like a finger in his eye, impossible to not notice.

He was going to kill Urahara. For real this time.

"Don't eat too much or you'll get a stomach ache." Tatsuki called out, walking beside Ichigo as they followed the auburn haired girl through the streets.

Ichigo was glad for Tatsuki's protective holler. She brought him back to the present. Now was not the time to worry about Orihime's future. He could worry about her hollow when it showed its face. For now he had a festival to enjoy and a adorably clumsy girl in geta to keep out of trouble. His eyebrows furrowed again. He also that that weird feeling to suppress.

"You sound like her mom." Ichigo commented, using his hollow's dislike for his childhood friend as a convenient distraction. He dodging a swipe as Tatsuki's fist shot out, without even breaking stride.

"Someone's gotta look after her." Tatsuki said, "I certainly couldn't leave her to wander around with you."

"Hey!" Ichigo snapped at her, "What makes me so untrustworthy?"

Tatsuki scoffed, "Please, like you weren't trying anything that time you were 'teaching' Orihime how to use a sword."

To her amusement, Ichigo turned bright red and shoved is hands in his pockets, continuing his walk in silence. Tatsuki turned her head toward the river side to hide the small smile on her face. Oh, how laughable Ichigo's ever so obvious crush on Orihime was. It also frustrated her the more she thought about it. Ichigo's long time crush on Orihime was obvious since he first saw her all those years ago. When he entered high school though, it was almost nonexistent. Slowly though, Tatsuki noticed it clawing its way to the surface, where it was now. The only difference was, this time Ichigo wasn't vocal about it at all, unlike the last time around when he practically screamed it from the rafters. It was like the orange haired punk didn't know about his feelings...

When would the two knuckleheads realize they liked each other?

When would he get the chance to beat the shit out the disrespectful bitch?

It was strange how Ichigo's embarrassment turned to rage in his hollows twisted psyche when it came to Tatsuki's sly comments. It seemed like if it were anyone else the hollow would laugh it off or add in his own perverted two cents. With Tatsuki though, every tease came with a plead to hurt Orihime's self proclaimed protector.

Ichigo was about to once again remind the hollow that Tatsuki was a friend when he caught sight of a familiar bit of long orange hair. His eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks, completely absorbed in the sight in front of him. Sounds around him dulled to a low roar under the sound of his own heart beat. His hollow had gone quiet, and the sound of Tatsuki and Orihime saying his name, fell on deaf ears. He couldn't move, he just couldn't. Ichigo shouldn't have come, he knew that now, they would see him. They would, and then, he would hurt them again.

Before he could get the words out to tell Orihime he was leaving, his mother turned to look over and meet his gaze, an action his father soon followed. Time stopped for the longest time. Ichigo's eyes widened, as did his parents'. Orihime and Tatsuki followed Ichigo's frozen gaze and saw his parents. Orihime stiffened beside Tatsuki, she could feel heartache flowing off of Ichigo's gaze. She had spent so long training and getting stronger, and here she was, still helpless to protect Ichigo from this pain.

"Ichigo, is something wrong?" Tatsuki asked, "It's just your parents."

Orihime looked at Tatsuki with saddened eyes. She had forgotten that nobody knew about Ichigo's situation except her and Rukia. Tatsuki had just ignorantly rammed the knife deeper into Ichigo's heart. Orihime held her hands together and brought them to her chest. What should she do?

"Uh, yeah." Ichigo snapped out of his gaze, and looked back at his friends, his face was covered in a cold sweat and his smile was tense. "Sorry."

"Ichi-nii!"

Ichigo was nearly taken off his feet as his sisters collided with his waist. He looked down to see them with sad expressions on their faces. They must have really missed him. He had left without any explanation or reason. As far as he knew, his parents had told them their brother had died. Here he was, the walking corpse of a horrible brother. Ichigo chanced a look up to see Masaki and Isshin walking towards him. He couldn't stop his body from tensing considerably. Would they yell at him in such a public place? Probably. He deserved it enough. Then again, they were probably coming over to rip his crying sisters out his arms and take them where he couldn't hurt them anymore. After all, he deserved that too.

His mother came to him, close enough for him to touch and placed her hand on the Yuzu's back. In a quick and sly motion Ichigo was sure only he and his father caught, his mother loosened the bow on her blond daughter's obi.

"Oh no, Yuzu, dear, your bow has come undone." Masaki said sweetly, doing a decent job actually sounding shocked and concerned. Yuzu let go of Ichigo and looked down. His sister's tears instantly dried and her face was splashed with embarrassment and innocent worry. "Why don't you go with Orihime-chan and Tatsuki-chan, they will help you fix it I am sure. Then you all can find a nice spot for us to watch the fireworks from. Karin, why don't you join them?"

"But oka-chan!" Karin cried, tears still pooling in her eyes. "What about Ichi-"

"Ichigo, your father, and I will be joining you. Promise."

The girls ran over to their brother's friends. Yuzu grabbed on to Orihime's hand, the girl Yuzu idolized looked back at Ichigo with worried eyes. Ichigo knew that look. She was asking him what he wanted her to do. Ichigo didn't bother to send her a reassuring smile; he just gave her a small nod.

"Don't worry Inoue, they'll catch up."

Orihime bowed her head and then in a flash put on the bright smile. She looked down at Yuzu and gleefully told the younger Kurosaki how cute she was in her baby blue yukata. The two skipped off ahead of the dark haired pair. Tatsuki and Karin just quietly moseyed behind Yuzu and Orihime. When they were a far distance away, Tatsuki looked down at Karin and noticed the flat face the young twin was wearing.

"What's wrong Karin?"

"Ichi-nii..." Karin looked back over her shoulder. The three were no longer there. "He said _'they'll'_ not '_we_' ... he isn't going to come back home, is he Tatsuki?"

Tatsuki went wide-eyed at both Karin's words and the sadness in her voice. She never knew Karin to be sad. None of the Kurosaki's were overly sad, even Ichigo who would cry all the time, always found a smile... at least he used to. Was so much going on in Ichigo's life that she never really tried to put things together? He had stopped smiling, he stopped a lot of things that the Ichigo she used to beat up in Karate practice used to do, and now he wasn't even staying at home?

Tatsuki stopped in her tracks and turned back down the path, hoping that the answers would somehow come rushing at her. they didn't. The dirt path only left her with questions. Namely: what happened to her friend Ichigo?

-0-

Ichigo kept his eyes down cast once they reached the side of the river where his father asked them to move too. _He had things to say he didn't want to be known in the public_ was his reasoning. Ichigo had little hopes for a big sorry and a family hug. He scolded himself for even thinking such a thing. There was nothing for them to apologize for. After last night's talk with his hollow and Zangetsu, Ichigo knew that this was only going to get harder for them. For that pain he would give them this, today they could hammer into him, because after he left for Soul Society, he wasn't going to come back. With Aizen dead and the problems of this world solved, he didn't see why he couldn't stay in Soul Society. He could join the Gotei 13, or maybe just stay with the Shiba's?

It didn't matter. That part of the plan wasn't solid, but it didn't need to be. After Aizen died there would be no Ichigo and no Kagemusha. The way it was supposed to be.

Isshin tucked his hands under his white obi. Like the rest of the family, he had chosen to dress up. The head of the Kurosaki house had chosen to dress up in a dark navy blue, almost black, Kimono and matching hakama. It stuck Ichigo how regal his dad looked. Maybe it was because his dad was a shinigami, but he looked good in dark colors. Masaki came to stand at her husband's side. Her yukata was a pale yellow with splashes of light pink flowers embroidered in. She was still as beautiful as he always remembered. Ichigo looked down at the river, where long ago, in another world, he had lost that same beautiful woman.

He knew now, that despite the hurt he had caused, and was sure to still cause from his actions, he would never forget having her there with him. He would remember her in her yellow yukata, that on anyone else would have made them look like a banana. He would remember his father's majestic look as he stared out towards the darkening skyline. Maybe, if he could remember those things, then saying goodbye wouldn't be as hard.

"We had a visitor come to the clinic a few days ago." Isshin said, breaking the silence. Ichigo looked at his father just as the older man brought his hand to the back of neck. "I hadn't seen the person in a while, since before you were born, Ichigo. So it was naturally a surprise when they showed up on my doorstep like that."

"Urahara." Ichigo mumbled, feeling a rush of anger at the damned ex-shinigami captain.

"Actually it was someone far furrier." Isshin chuckled. "Gotta' tell yeah I freaked out your mother to see a cat talk like that. After all she had only ever seen Yoruichi in her human form."

"Yo- Yoruichi came to the house?" Ichigo asked, forgetting his shame. When had he even been left alone without the stupid cat looking over his shoulder and keeping him on his time leash? Ichigo couldn't for the life of him figure out when the cat had had time to go and talk to his parents.

"She felt that..." Masaki started, then paused, regaining her angelic composure. After all, she had promised herself she wouldn't cry until everything was said. "She felt that there were some things we should know..." Ichigo looked down, the hands buried in his pockets made tight fists. "Something's we didn't let you tell us in the heat of the moment."

"Look mo-"Ichigo cut himself off, remembering the sting from his mother's slap the last time he called her by such a loving endearment. "Masaki-san, old man..."

"Hey, why am I still 'old man'?" Isshin pouted, going by unnoticed like he knew he would.

"We don't need to talk about this. I know I screwed up and I know I shouldn't have tried to take your son's place. I just ... and you ..." An unfamiliar sting formed in the corners of Ichigo's eyes, and before he knew it his vision had become distorted and blurred. He could feel water running down his cheeks, but he knew it couldn't have been rain. So this is what it took to make him cry? Ichigo had lost his whole world and hadn't shed a tear, but now here, standing in front of rejection by the two people who brought him into this world, he was shaking with the tears he had held in for years.

Everything suddenly seemed too much. It wasn't just trying to deal with his parents, it was all of it. All of the heartache and pain he had been carrying around from the second Rukia's icy Zanpakuto plunged into his heart was suddenly spilling out in salty tears.

"You lost us before didn't you Ichigo? All of us. Orihime-chan, Chad, that boy with the glasses, your whole family... they were all dead weren't they?" Masaki asked, taking a step towards her son.

"It was my fault." Ichigo sobbed. He couldn't hold it in anymore, he wished he could, he wanted so badly to find control. The crying wouldn't stop though. "I wasn't strong enough, I couldn't save them!"

"So Kisuke, the one who trained you in your world told you to come here, so that you could try again, and be happy." Isshin stated more than asked. He had heard the story, and had his answers. And his son wasn't in the right state to tell them both the tale.

"I didn't want this to happen!" Ichigo shouted.

"We are sorry Ichigo."

Ichigo stopped sobbing, and his shaking suddenly disappeared. He had heard them wrong, that was his first thought, but he looked up and saw the same words in his parents eyes.

"We were upset, and we jumped to conclusions. You went through so much pain and turmoil to, came here, and we pushed the only thing you wanted away from you. The only thing you wanted was us, your family and friends; the people you lost, and we just ripped that from your fingers."

"Mom..." Ichigo mumbled, knowing that those damned tears were going to come back any second. In a shocking act, Masaki wrapped her arms around her son and gave him a motherly hug.

"Come home Ichigo, your family needs you."

His mother's words was the trigger he needed. Ichigo's eyes watered and his sobbing started again. His shaky arms wrapped around Masaki, just as his knees finally decided to give out. Both the light haired Kurosaki's gently sat down on the grassy hill. Masaki whispered into her son's ear, used to soothing him though his tears, and rubbed his back, trying to calm him down.

"I love you, mom." Ichigo sobbed, burying his face in his mother's kimono.

"I love you too, Ichigo."

"What about me, son?" Isshin chimed, feeling left out of the touching scene.

"Go to hell old man." Ichigo laughed, through his tears.


	7. Chapter 7

**CM9**: _To all of our dear fans, we understand that we haven't updated in what feels like forever. However, please understand that we've fallen to every writer's worst enemy, WRITERS BLOCK. We've been completely ineffectual for the past few months, and for that we sincerely apologize._

_But then we realized that as our fans, you could help us with this problem. Personally, I find there's no better cure for writers block than reading other fantastic works to get your mind going, and thus we have a request: Share what you believe to be some of the best IchiHime fics you know of with us. With great IchiHime stories to read, we'll likely find inspiration for Getting It Right once again. And you even get two more scenes we've cut out of the story._

_The second one is an alternate idea we had to the bathroom scene from Chapter 14, and we both hope you enjoy it. The first is one that is surely cut from the story, but is so good that I wanted to share it with you all._

-0-

Ichigo froze mid step and couldn't help the feeling of utter shock and horror that zipped up his spine. The sound of the Garganta behind him and the wave of that familiar dark and crushing reiatsu made even his inner hollow's mind real and turn. Slowly Ichigo turned, a cold sweat already falling from his brow. His hand went to his pocket, but he knew the object he was looking for was missing; that key to his shinigami form was sitting on his night stand. Ichigo's brows furrowed and his eyes twitched when he locked eyes with an eerie green pair.

"Ul-Ulquiorra..."

"How odd." The pale arroncar spoke in a monotonic voice; his hands situated in his pockets like Ichigo always remembered him doing. "We have never met, and yet you know my name. The look on your face even leads me to believe you have seen me before." Ulquiorra slow walk came to a stop just a mere few feet away from the orange haired vizard.

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo growled, as he closed his hand into a tight fist, piercing his palm with the force.

"I have come to take you with me Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo flinched in utter shock. His eyes widened and his heart stopped. "To what?"

"Silence." He stepped forward again. "The next words from your mouth will be 'Yes.' or it will mean death. Not for you, but for the people you hold most dear." Behind the chillingly calm man; no _monster_, the Garganta opened again to create multiple screens. The images made Ichigo's blood run cold. His parents tucking his two little sisters in for the night. Orihime sleeping soundly on a futon in Urahara's shop, still resting from her fight with her inner hollow. Ishida, Tatsuki, Chad. There was a screen for each of them.

"You will come with me or they will-"

"No." Ichigo growled out. He stared into the creature that ended his life twice with all of the anger and power he could muster without exposing his inner hollows matching contempt and anger. "If you go anywhere near them I swear, I will end your life."

"Oh?" Ulquiorra's emotionless face lit up in confusion for a fraction of a second before going back to the same emotionless state. "And you believe you can stop me?"

"I know I can."

"You are a mere human, the weakest of Inoue Orihime's friends. You have barely any reiatsu, and you believe you can fight and defeat me?"

"I _will_ defeat you if you go near any of them."

"You have twenty four hours Kurosaki Ichigo. At the end of that time you will come willingly or you will come by force." The Garganta opened and the arroncar took a step backwards into the opening. "If you continue to show resistance, I will show you how useless you are. I will begin the demonstration with your bloodline." Ichigo, lightly scoffed as his body tensed once again. Ulquiorra tossed a bracelet at Ichigo's feet. "Wear it, and return in twenty four hours." The Garganta closed and Ichigo cursed.

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[Ichigo version]

Ichigo stretched and yawned. It was too early for him to be up. He knew it, but he knew something else too. It was ever present by the reiatsu that surrounded him and was soaked into his clothes and every inch of the small apartment he now shared with Rukia and Orihime. The fact was clear. He had to beat the girls to the shower, otherwise, he would end up with a waterfall of ice instead of the nice heat his muscles needed and had grown accustomed to. That was definitely not happening again.

He shuffled down the hall way, dragging his towel behind him as he chewed on his toothbrush. He could tell that summoning Zangetsu and his hollow everyday was starting to make them progressively tired as well. After all, his hollow was quiet and he had already been up for a good ten minutes.

"Maybe I should take a break today..." He mumbled to no one as he reached of the knob to the bathroom door. His eyes missed the light coming from under the door, and the click of the broken lock the land lord still hadn't gotten around to fixing yet. He didn't miss the view in the bathroom though. Even after he yelled and heard an echoed scream, even once the door was slammed and closed against his back, he still saw the wet skin of Inoue Orihime imprinted into his mind.

_"Now I'm up."_ his hollow finally spoke, the inner voice sounding strained, like he was also trying to process what just happened.

Ichigo slammed his eyes closed tightly, but her wet body, covered in only a low hanging towel, was burned onto his eyelids. "Shut up." He quietly snapped, trying to pry the vision out.

_"We should go back in and..."_ The hollow smiled and Ichigo's brain derailed. Why did they have to share the same mind? _"See if she's scared. We can comfort her."_ Comfort was the last thing on his hollows mind and it disgusted him that he knew exactly what _was_ on his hollows twisted mind.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"

_"Since when do I listen?"_ The hollow laughed enjoying the show as much as he was enjoying the king's flustered actions and thoughts.

"I'm gonna die if I live here any longer."

_"Why? With naked babes everywhere, we're already in Heaven."_

"What is wrong with you Ichigo?" Rukia stood beside him, her hair flying in every direction possible. Her pajamas, hand-me-downs from Orihime's younger years, still hung her body like they were four sizes larger. Ichigo's back straightened and his face turned strawberry red.

"Ichigo?"

_"You tell her and we sleep on the street for a month."_

"Nothing!" Ichigo snapped, his spine still as straight as a board. "Just... thinking."

"Thinking? Out here in the hallway?" Rukia raised a brow and crossed her arms. "What could you possibly be thinking about?"

Ichigo slumped forward and walked back to his room. "About where the closest hardware store is." Ichigo mumbled to himself before he slammed his door and crashed against it. He left Rukia where she was with a small black eyebrow raised.

"Hardware store?"

"Ru-Rukia?" Orihime's meek voice chirped from behind the door to the bathroom. "I-is K-Kurosaki-kun gone?"

Ichigo flinched at the boom of Rukia's laughter and the dread of the inevitable hazing set in.

"Damn it..." Ichigo grumbled and hit his head against the door.

_"You know king, if we had gone back in there, I doubt she would have been laughing at what she-"_

"Don't put thoughts like that into my head damnit! Inoue is... I don't... Gah, just stop!"

_"Think what you want king, I know what I'll be thinking about all day."_

"Yeah." Ichigo huffed, knowing he would probably being thinking something of the same. "That's why we're gonna go buy some locks."

**End**

Remember, if you want to help get another update to Getting It Right, let us know about some great IchiHime stories to get our creative juices flowing. True fans don't just enjoy an author's work, they help inspire it.


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